


Permanent Night

by kickcows



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 06:55:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15213635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kickcows/pseuds/kickcows
Summary: Axel asks Saïx if he misses how the way things were prior to them becoming Nobodies, or if he’s happy with their new life.





	Permanent Night

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first offering for Akusai Month over on tumblr! Please enjoy! :)

* * *

“Do you miss how time passes?” Axel asks, standing near the wall of glass in the Grey Area, his eyes looking out at the World That Never Was. “This permanent night thing here can be a real drag sometimes.”

Saïx pays no attention to the redhead, lost in his own thoughts as he looks at his clipboard. There are still three Organization members out on missions, due to return soon. He turns to look to his left, and sees Axel is staring at him, a perplexed look on his face. “Is something the matter, Number VIII?”

“Many things, Sai. Like how you don’t even address me by my name anymore.” The redhead turns to look back out the window. “Did you even hear what I said to you? You don’t listen to me, do you?”

A soft sigh escapes him, as he looks down at his clipboard again. “I listen to you well enough. No, the passage of time doesn’t bother me here. It’s...liberating.”

“Liberating?” The surprise he hears in Axel’s voice brings a steady thumping to his temple, his brain not wishing to get into an argument. “How is not being able to tell time not liberating? Don’t you miss seeing the sun set? Or, for that matter, for it to rise?”

He starts to shake his head no, when an obsidian portal appears to the left of him. Holding his thoughts, he waits for the returning member of their Organization to appear from their mission. Demyx stumbles out, looking a little worse for wear. After he dismisses him from the Grey Area, not interested in hearing his excuses as to why he’s returned so late, he turns to look over at Axel. But, another obsidian oval manifests near him, Luxord returning from his mission for the day.

They’re left alone, one remaining member still out on a mission. Saïx sees Axel still looking out the window, his demeanor almost the same as it had been when they were growing up together in Radiant Garden. “Our world is our world for a reason, Number VIII. The Superior brought us here because-”

“Save it.” Axel holds up his hand. “I don’t want to hear it, Number VII.” A frown appears on his lips, as he’s addressed by his number. “What? Don’t like that? Now you know how it feels.”

The redhead starts to walk towards the exit, Saïx’ brow set in a line. “Wait, I wasn’t finished speaking to you.”

“Too bad. I was.”

A portal opens up, the final Organization member returning from their mission, preventing Saïx from calling out to Axel to come back. He watches the redhead walk away, as Larxene gives him a verbal report of her mission. He nods his head, not at all listening to what the woman is saying, eyes still following Axel’s retreating form. He gives her a simple ‘Thank you’, then dismisses her from his presence. With the last member of the Organization back in their castle, he heads to his office to drop off his clipboard for the evening.

When he’s done, he heads up to his room, but takes a chance and heads to another room first. He stands at Axel’s door, giving a soft knock on it, hoping that the redhead hasn’t gone out for the evening. Holding his breath, he waits for the door to open, exhaling when he sees bright emerald eyes staring at him.

“Is something the matter?” Axel asks, looking at him with indifference in both his eyes and body language. “Does the Superior need something? It’s after hours, Sai. I thought we didn’t have to do anything after we reported in from our mission for the day.”

“Would you please stop prattling on?” He asks, raising his gloved hand to his face, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as the throbbing returns to his temple. “May I please come in?”

“Fine.” The redhead steps to the side, allowing him to walk into his room. “I don’t know what I’ve done, but whatever it is, you can punish me how you see fit.”

Groaning, he turns to look at him as the door closes. “What’s with you? I came here to finish our conversation, and it’s like you’ve got a guilty conscience.”

“What conversation?”

“About our ‘permanent night’ here on our world.” Saïx crosses his arms over his chest. “Or did you forget as you walked away from me?”

“I thought you didn’t care.” The answer makes him lift up an eyebrow. “You never really care when I talk about those kinds of things.”

“Maybe I am attempting to make an effort to change that.” He turns to look out at the window. “Do you want to know why I don’t mind how dark our world is?”

“No. I was just making casual conversation before.” Sarcasm drips from Axel’s lips, the steady throbbing making itself known on his temple.

Lifting his hand, he opens a portal in the middle of the bedroom. “Follow me.” He starts to walk towards it, and doesn’t bother to listen to the protests he can hear Axel making as he enters the Corridor to Darkness. He walks out of the portal, Twilight Town appearing around them.

“What the hell are we doing here?” Axel asks, as Saïx continues to walk, heading up the walkway towards the clock tower.

He stops when they get to the stairs leading up towards the train station. He turns to look at Axel, who meets his gaze with a confused expression on his face. “You were complaining about the lack of telling time in our castle, how the permanent night makes it difficult to know what time it is as there is no natural ‘clock’ to show this.” He breaks his gaze, and looks out towards the setting sun. “This world offers some of the best sunsets, the perpetual state of dusk giving this world an ethereal quality to it.”

“You act as if I’ve never come here before.” The redhead groans, looking up at the clock tower. “You know I like to go and sit up there and watch the sunsets, so what the hell is the point of this visit?”

Saïx keeps looking out at setting sun. “We can’t go back home, Lea. I know that our new home isn’t the greatest, but it’s what we have. At least we have a way to go to a place that can offer what our current home cannot.”

“Are the Heartless still that bad in Radiant Garden?” The annoyance and sarcasm has disappeared from his friend’s voice, the shuffle of his feet letting Saïx know that Axel is now standing next to him. “Have you been back there?”

“No.” He shakes his head, relieved that he’s found a common ground to speak to him about. “I’ve only heard Superior complain about how it has turned into a mess, no thanks to that witch.”

“It’s not like he isn’t just as guilty for turning our world into what it’s become.” Axel is quick to remind him. “Remember the time we stayed up all night in the outer garden, convinced that something would happen when the sun rose from the sky?”

The memory creeps its way back into his mind, Saïx tucking some of the hair behind his ear. “I wasn’t, you were the one that thought that the castle might do something ‘cool’ as the sun rose. Dawn with you was a nightmare.”

“Oh, come on.” The redhead knocks his shoulder against his, Saïx taking the opportunity to lean in towards him. The physical touch makes more memories return - memories of happier times. The two of them laughing in the outer garden, hiding from their fellow Organization members - back when they were somebodies. Stolen kisses behind Scrooge’s sea salt ice cream stall, whispered feelings that both were too shy to say in their normal voices. “It wasn’t  _that_  bad.” Axel stays near him, his arm dropping over his shoulder.

He keeps his head down, snorting a tiny bit. “You were horrible, Lea. You know you were.”

“Can you blame me, Isa?” Axel doesn’t remove his arm, instead moves to stand behind him, both of his arms coming to be around his torso. “You never complained I was a pain before.”

“That’s because I didn’t know any better.” He leans back against him, the two staring off at the sunset together. “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past. Our world is perfect for us.”

“The ones that can remember what it’s like to be human, cursed to be in the Darkness for eternity until the Superior gets his Kingdom Hearts.” The weight of Axel’s chin resting against his shoulder brings a small smile to his face. “He’s going to get us all killed again.”

“He might.” Saïx agrees. “But, if we work together, we could gain the upper hand.”

“I thought we were already working together.” The redhead pulls away from him, the two turning to face one another. “Aren’t we, Isa?”

“If you listen to me when I’m talking to you, then yes. We’re working together. But you didn’t do that earlier.”

Axel groans, and shakes his head. “You were being super moody. I’m sorry. I’ll be better next time.”

“So will I.” He nods his head, then lifts his hand to open a portal. “When you complain about our world again, remember that you now have the capability to go anywhere you want. A luxury we did not have as humans.”

“You’re right.” Axel approaches the opened portal. “Hey Isa? Do you miss how we were when we were humans?”

Their eyes meet, Saïx knowing just what the redhead was alluding to. “Sometimes.”

“But not enough to start it up again?”

“Don’t put words into my mouth, Lea.” He smirks, and gestures for him to go through the portal. “Now is not the time to discuss this.”

“It will never be the right time.” Axel huffs, but then starts to walk towards the obsidian oval. “But that answer is better than what I thought you’d say.” The redhead disappears from the realm, Saïx taking a few steps forward to follow him through.

He walks out of the corridor of Darkness, appearing back in Axel’s room. “Another time, Number VIII.” He reverts to calling his best friend by his rank, a habit he’s grown accustomed to here in their Castle. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

“My door is always open to you, Isa.” Axel mentions to him, as he puts his hand on the doorknob. “Thanks for showing me that our new world isn’t so bad after all.”

“It was my pleasure, Lea.” He looks over his shoulder at him, the smile on the redhead’s face bringing a small one to his own. “Good night.” He leaves the room, and makes his way to his bedroom, lost in thought.

The two of them are stuck in this world together, memories keeping them close together. Memories of their former lives that they cling to in order to retain their human identities. Yes, it bothers him that there’s no real way to judge how a day passes here on the World That Never Was, but the eternal darkness is where they belong. They are Nobodies, and their home reflects that with no sun, or moon. No natural light source whatsoever. Only the ever present darkness.


End file.
